Improvement in sheet-delivering apparatus for printing-presses



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S. D. TUCKER. Sheet-Delivering Apparatus for Printing-Presses.

No. 213,793. Patented April I, 1879.

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5 Sheets-Sheet 2. S. D. TUCKER. Sheet-Delivering Apparatus forPrinting-Presses.

No. 213,793. Patented April 1, I879.

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No. 213,793. Patented April 1,1879;

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S. D. TUCKER. Sheet-Delivering Apparatus for Printing-Presses.

Patented April 1,1879.

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Patented April I, 1879.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

STEPHEN D. TUCKER, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

IMPROVEMENT IN SHEET-DELIVERING APPARATUS FOR PRlNTlNG-PRESSES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 213,793, dated April 1,1879; application filed June 21, 1877.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, STEPHEN D. TUCKER, of the city, county, and State ofNew York, have invented an Improvement in Sheet-Delivery Mechanism, ofwhich the following is a specification Apparatus for delivering sheetsfrom printing-machines have been constructed in which the sheets areconducted by carrying-tapes from the printing or cutting cylinders toand directed upon a delivering cylinder, from which they are deliveredout of the machine.

In such apparatus, however, the tapes which carry the sheet vfrom theprinting or cutting cylinders to the delivering-cylinder have one set(usually the upper) partially surrounding the said delivering-cylinder,said tapes being carried into, or nearly into, contact with the surfaceof said delivering-cylinder by deflecting-rollers, which carry the tapesinto close proximity to the surface of the delivering-cylinder, sucharrangement necessitating a sharp or abrupt turn in the path formed bythe tapes in which the sheets travel.

In this arrangement of devices the heads of the sheets approach thesurface of the delivering-cylinder at nearly right angles, and arethereby rendered liable to abut against the cylinder and be doubled orgathered and jam or clog at the point of their entrance upon the surfaceof the delivering-cylinder.

The present invention consists in arranging the carrying-tapes so as toconvey the sheets directly onto the surface of the deliveringcylinderwithout the intervention of any defleeting or guiding rollers, wherebythe sheets are caused to travel at a tangent to the circumference of thedelivering-cylinder, which provides for them a path of travel which,having no abrupt turns, guides the sheets smoothly, and avoids anytendency to orumple, jam, or clog.

An apparatus embodying my invention is illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings, which represent, in

Figure 1, a side elevation; Fig. 2, an end elevation, and in Fig. 3 asectional elevation. Figs. 4 to 8 illustrate my improvement applied to agathering-cylinder.

The apparatus illustrated in Figs. 1 to 3 is especially designed todeliver successive sheets of paper in a once-folded condition, thedelivering-cylinder 30 being provided with a foldingblade of therotative order, which co-opcrates with folding-rollers 9 10, as is fullydescribed in Letters Patent No. 171,196, granted to me December 14,1875.

It may, however, embody a delivering-cylinder furnished with means forgathering or accumulating many sheets in succession thereon, and thenstripping the same in a single mass therefrom, as is done in thewell-known Hoe perfecting-press, all of which is particularly describedin Letters Patent N 0. 191,494, granted to me May 29, 1877, and isherein illustrated in Figs. 4 to 8, inclusive; or thedelivering-cylinder may be a carrier which directs sheets alternatelyfrom or successively at two or more points of its circumference, as isdescribed in Letters Patent Nos. 197,694 and 197,700, granted to meNovember 27, 1877.

The printing mechanism may be of any type which is capable of deliveringprinted sheets into the carrying-tapes 11 12; but it is preferable tocombine this mechanism with a perfecting press which prints upon a weband cuts the same into suitable sheets.

The cutting-cylinders 13 14 of such a press are alone hereinillustrated, it being understood that the paper web, printed on bothsides, after leaving the last type and impression cylinder, passesbetween the said cuttingcylinders, which sever it into sheets anddeliver the same in succession to the tape-rollers 15 16. The upper set,11, of carrying-tapes run from the roller 15 directly onto thedeliveringcylinder 30, pass around one of the foldingrollers 9, andreturn over leadingrollers 18 to the roller 15. The lower set, 12, ofthese carrying-tapes run from the roller 16 over a roller, 29, set inclose proximity to the surface of the delivering-cylinder 30, and returnto the roller 16.

The cutting-cylinders are geared together by toothed wheels 17 19, so asto run in unison, and will be driven from the press by a toothed wheelupon one of the last type or impression cylinders.

The delivering-cylinder 30 is considerably larger than thecutting-cylinders, and, being geared thereto by a train of toothedwheels, 20 21 22 23, is caused to run turn for turn therewith, but at agreater surface speed, thus advancing each sheet produced by thecutting-cylinders, as it is nipped between the tapes 11 and the surfaceof the cylinder 30, with an accelerated speed, which separates sheetfrom sheet, and causes a space to be formed between the head and tail ofeach sheet. This accelerated speed of the cylinder may, of course, beutilized to tear sheet from sheet when the cutting-cylinders onlyperforate the line of severance.

The leading end of each sheet is guided directly onto the surface of thecylinder by means of the tapes 11 12, which run parallel with each otherfrom the rollers 15 16 to the pulleys 29, and thus form a tangentialpathway, guiding the sheets smoothly and evenly onto said cylinder.

In the apparatus shown in Figs. 1 to 3, inclusive, each successive sheetguided onto the cylinder 30 passes between its surface and the tapes 11,and is carried onward by the contact of the two until the center of thesheet is before the folding-rollers 9 10, when the folding-blade 38(which is mounted on a shaft, 40, and automatically rotated by means ofa stationary cam, 43, and a flying-cam, 44, revolved by means of pinions41 42) comes into action, and doubles the sheet into the nip of the rollers 9 10, as in Fig. 3, which rollers, being geared together by wheels80 90, and driven by wheel 91 on the cylinder 30, (see Fig. 1,) feed itout of the machine. The leading end of the sheet may be seized bygripers 5, which close upon it at or near the point of its receptionupon the cylinder 30, and release it just a little before thefolding-blade acts upon it. But these gripers need not be used, sincethe sheet will be carried onward by the cylinder and tapes, so that itsleading end will droop down off the former until the sheet is doubledinto the nip of the folding-rollers.

The motions and operation of the foldingblade and its actuating devicesare not herein set forth, since they are fully described in the PatentsNos. 171,196, dated December 14, 1875, and 191,494, dated May 29, 1877,hereinbefore referred to.

The construction and operation of the gripers 5 is also omitted, as theyare specifically described in the last-named patent.

When it is desired that the delivering-cylinder 30 shall perform thefunction of gathering or accumulating many sheets upon its surface anddeliver the same in a single pack or body, said cylinder is furnishedwith the mechanisms shown in Figs. 4 to 8, inclusive, which mechanismsand their arrangement are particularly described in the aforesaidPatlant No. 191,494, but will be briefly explained erem.

A third set of endless tapes, 18, are stretched around areceiving-cylinder, 24, and a roller, 25, which latter is supported upona shaft, 8, hung in arms 26, fast upon shaft 7. This shaft 7 isconnected, by an arm, 28, with a rod, 27, by which the roller 25 and thetapes 18 may be held up against the delivering-cylinder 30, as in Figs.4, 5, 7, 8, by means of a key pass ing through a hole, 31, in the rod,and entering one in the side frame, or be rocked down from that positionwhen the folding operation is to be effected.

There is a series of switches, 6, hung upon a shaft, 95, between thedelivering-cylinder 30 and the receiving-cylinder 24, which shaft isrocked by means of an arm, 32, and connect ing-rod 33, the latter beingprovided with a pin, 4, entering the cam-groove 34, cut in the face ofthe wheel 35, which latter is revolved by a pinion, 36, fast on theshaft of the delivering-cylinder 30.

These mechanisms being adjusted as shown, and the folding-blade 38thrown out of action by removing its flying-cam 44, or otherwise, asdescribed in said Patent No. 191,494, the first sheet carried onto thecylinder 30 will pass around the same to the point of its entrancethereon, where it will receive a second sheet upon it, as in Fig. 8, andthis operation will be repeated until a suitable quantity has beencollected, according as the pinion 36 is proportioned to the wheel 35,when the cam 34, having rocked the switches 6 into the grooves in thecylinder 30 the mass of sheets will be directed down before the flyframe37, as in Fig. 7, which, vibrated, will lay them in a flat pile.

The gripers 5 may be omitted as heretofore described, and the third setof tapes be arranged as is shown and explained in the aforesaid Patent N0. 191,494, or as in the Patent No. 193,056, July 10, 1877.

In some cases where the paper is poor and limp, or the machine runs at alow rate of speed, it is desirable to place guards parallel with thetapes 11 between the pulleys 29 and the cylinder 30, as in Fig. 4, and,as has been hereinbefore explained, so that the leading end of the sheetmay not droop down or follow the peripheries of the pulleys 29. But bymaking the pulleys 29 of small dimensions the guards may be omitted,(see Fig. 3,) as the space between them and the cylinder 30 will be soshort that ordinary paper will be carried onto the cylinder 30 withoutimpediment or danger of buckling or cloggmg.

Having now fully described the invention, what is claimed is- Thecombination, with cutting-cylinders and with a delivering-cylinder, oftwo sets of accelerated tapes, one set terminating at pulleys in closeproximity to said cylinder, and the other set passing onto the surfaceof said cylinder, the two sets of tapes thus disposed acting to conveysheets directly upon said In testimony whereof I have signed my namedelivering-cylinder, all substantially as deto this specification in thepresence of two subscribed.

2. The combination of the gathering-cylinder 30 with the tapes 11 12,operating to de- Witnesses: liver the printed sheets directly onto thegathering-cylinder, substantially as specified.

scribing witnesses.

STEPHEN D. TUCKER.

H. T. MUNSON, GEO. H. GRAHAM.

